New England Winters Suck
by Kamije Celeek
Summary: Hiccup Haddock is the type of person who keeps to himself. As a result, he doesn't have many friends in his hometown of Berk. However, when his superstar actress of a twin sister comes home after her show ends, it turns their small New England town upside down and leads to changes nobody saw coming. Especially not Astrid Hofferson. Rated T for language.
1. The Haddock Twins

**Modern** _ **HTTYD**_ **AU for y'all.**

 **I think a note I should make is that the layout and personalities of the different groups of Dragon's Edge High is based off that of my own school—meaning classes for the arts, automotive, and the sports fields are on the opposite side of campus to the other classes. Also, the band kids are the ones who are like 'this is** _ **mine**_ **. Do not hurt it or I hurt you.' It applies to instruments and people.**

 _ **Terms and conditions may apply. Offer not valid in Alaska or Hawaii. OC included.**_

* * *

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III was not what most people considered 'normal'.

He valued intelligence over strength and personality over appearance. Rather than hanging out with friends, he chose to be alone so he could work on his personal projects. Despite the amount of time he spent on schoolwork, he was the top student in his class. His father was a professional wrestler and CEO of Vast Industries. His mother had vanished when he was a baby and she'd been a top dragon rescuer. To many people, it seemed as if he was all alone in the world, save for his Uncle Gobber. They didn't know about two things in his life that made him less alone.

First, there was his dragon, Toothless. Toothless was a Night Fury, the fastest dragon in existence. Once upon a time, the species had been considered the most mysterious and dangerous of all, even called the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself. Toothless was basically like a big housecat, though, furiously protective of Hiccup and anyone in the family. To Hiccup, it was like having a brother, which he didn't have.

He did, however, have a sister.

The other thing that made him not as alone was his twin sister, Signy. She wasn't home much, due to the fact that she'd been 'discovered' at a young age and was in LA, filming her TV show. However, whenever there was a hiatus, she'd head home on her dragon and spend every minute she could with her family. As a result, she was extremely close to her brother despite the distance. Her constant emailing, texting, and video-calling helped close the three thousand miles between New England and California.

Nowadays, though…

* * *

 _They say the show might be ending soon. I'm welcoming it. –Sig Fig_

 _ **Sis, you love acting on that show. –Fury of Dusk**_

 _Yeah, but I hate all my costars._

 _ **Even Eret?**_

 _Shut up._

 _ **What if it does get canceled?**_

 _I'm coming home for good. I'll make it clear I won't be coming back to LA. I need something REAL._

 _ **Well, can't get much realer than Berk.**_

 _Who's beating you up? : (_

 _ **I didn't say that.**_

 _Twintuition, Hiccup._

 _ **THAT'S NOT A THING. WE'VE BEEN OVER THIS.**_

 _It is because I say it is! Now who's beating you up so I can kick their ass when I come back to Berk?_

 _ **You are kicking nobody's ass. You're smaller than I am.**_

 _I may or may not have been taking lessons from Cami._

 _When in LA, learn some self defense or you'll get mugged, murdered, or raped._

 _ **I really hate the fact you're all alone out there.**_

 _Just got a text from my agent._

 _The season we just started filming is the last one._

 _Filming will take a few more weeks, then I'm home, baby bro._

 _ **You mean big bro. I'm older than you.**_

 _By five minutes._

 _ **That's still older.**_

 _Gotta go. Eret and I have a scene to film._

 _ **Bye, Sig Fig.**_

 _See ya, Fury of Dusk._

Hiccup hit snooze on his alarm as it went off. He let out a groan and rolled out of bed to start getting ready. Checking the calendar on his phone, he couldn't help but smile. His sister was on her way home and she'd be with him for the rest of high school, at least.

His walk to Dragon's Edge High was a short one he'd been taking for a year. It was short enough for him to not run into trouble and make it on time, but long enough for him to think. However, today, the only thing on his mind was his sister's impending homecoming. He knew if she found out about the torment he'd been enduring at school, she'd show up and try to kill whoever was messing with him. It had been like that since they were really little—she'd try to protect him, and he'd end up holding her back because, according to Stoick, 'the lass has more fight in her than men four times her size. That's the Haddock blood in her, and the stubbornness, too.'

Signy had always been the one to move more quickly to anger and violence—only, however, if someone insulted her or a family member. He could remember when a boy from their elementary school named Viggo Grimborn had pushed him into a mud puddle during recess. Signy had tried to practically jump onto Viggo's back until Hiccup had managed to drag her off into the building so she could calm down.

Before he could make the turn onto Berserker Lane (where the school was located), a firecracker popped at his feet, making him jerk from his thoughts and jump at the noise. Hiccup looked to see Snotlout Jorgenson and Dagur Landvik in Snotlout's truck. Dagur was holding another firecracker and tossed it at Hiccup. Of course, Hiccup slipped around the corner and ran at top speed towards the school. He managed to make it to the band room before they came around the corner onto the school driveway. Heather—Dagur's younger sister by a single year—put a hand on Hiccup's shoulder and glared at her brother.

Hiccup was thankful for the band kids and their close-knit, no-tolerance-for-bullying- _anyone_ attitudes.

* * *

"I can't believe it!"

" _Viking Heart_ is ending?!"

"It's the _final season_!"

Hiccup hid a smile behind his book at the lunch table. He knew almost everyone at Dragon's Edge watched his sister's show. They'd watched it since they were in middle school, most of them, and it was the top-rated show.

"I heard it's because Thorn is tired of her costars," whispered Ruffnut Thorston to her brother, Tuffnut. "You know, Kirsten and Gustav and Milla and Eret."

"I heard it's because Thorn is sick of Hollywood," Snotlout snorted.

Hiccup unconsciously pulled up the newest article with his sister's stage name.

 _The news has broken that the hit show,_ Viking Heart _, is airing its final season this year. We found out the reasons from its lead actress, Thorn._

 _"The show is ending because it represents a period of life the cast is now leaving," she told_ STARPOWER _. "Me, personally, I'm kind of relieved. It's no secret that I hate how fake Hollywood is, and with the show ending, I can go home to my brother and my father. I can lead a life away from the cameras, where I can attend high school and take care of my dragon. I can have movie nights with my brother that end with us falling asleep in the den."_

 _"But what about the other offers for shows you've gotten?"_ STARPOWER _reporter, Bertha Bogs, asked of the young star._

 _"I've turned them all down. I feel like I'll lose who I am if I spend too much more time here. I'm going to reconnect with my family, in New England. I'll be the real me, and I'm pretty sure the real me doesn't want to be here much longer."_

 _When asked about the future of her and her costar/boyfriend's relationship, she had this to say._

 _"Eret understands what I'm doing. He knows this is what I need before I move on to the next stage of my life. We'll make it work."_

Hiccup noticed Astrid Hofferson, his longtime crush, on her phone. She was reading the same article aloud to her friends. They were hanging onto every word.

* * *

 _ **Since when is Thorn from New England?**_

 _Hello to you, too, brother dearest. Since I dyed my hair._

 _ **Oh, boy. What are you now—a blonde?**_

 _I'm back to red._

 _ **You mean you dyed it back to normal.**_

 _My stylist says it suits me better._

 _And that my hair's still the best she's ever worked with._

 _ **You know Dad'll be glad to see it.**_

 _ **He still complains that they made you dye it brown in the first place.**_

 _ **He says it doesn't look natural on you.**_

 _It does not._

 _It does on you._

 _That's because you remind him the most of Mom._

 _ **I do not.**_

 _Yes, you do. Uncle Gobber says so._

 _He also says you clearly did not inherit Mom or Dad's cooking ability._

 _ **Really?**_

 _I've tasted Dad's cooking. You definitely didn't inherit it._

 _ **Ha ha.**_

 _ **So, you're attending Dragon's Edge, right?**_

 _Of course I am, dum-dum. Why wouldn't I?_

 _I've got to protect you._

 _ **Sig, we are both under five foot five. I think it's safe to say neither of us is protecting anybody.**_

 _True._

 _We have Bramble and Toothless for that._

 _ **Oh, dear God. Please tell me you're not flying all the way across the country on Bramble.**_

 _No, I'm not stupid. Bramble can't fly that far and I haven't flown her in a while._

 _I'm taking a plane to NYC and flying Bramble from there._

 _Does that get your approval?_

 _ **Yes, very.**_

 _ **That's probably your safest option.**_

 _I'll be home in three days._

 _ **Already counting down!**_

* * *

 **So, as you can probably tell, this is heavily focused on my OC, Signy. She's Hiccup's twin sister and she takes more after Stoick than Valka. I'll explain her show more in the next chapter, but yes, she is very close to her brother and has a violent temper at times.**

 **So long and thanks for all the fish!**


	2. Welcome Home, Signy!

The second she stepped out of the airport, Signy let out a sigh. It felt good to finally be almost home for good. Bramble was waiting for her outside, rustling her wings. The redhead smiled and put up her hood before climbing onto the Deadly Nadder's back. Once her luggage was secured (just a saddlebag and backpack), she took off for Berk. It wasn't far by dragon—only two hours.

Eventually, her childhood home came into view. In the spacious expanse of the backyard, she could see Hiccup and Toothless performing their normal routine of target practice and making sure Toothless's tail rig was in proper working order.

"Bramble, spine shot. Don't hit Hiccup," she whispered. Bramble shot her spines at the ground next to Hiccup. He looked up, not even startled.

"Well, good afternoon to you, too," he said as his sister landed next to him. "Our typical greeting of you almost impaling me."

"Oh, come on. You know Bramble won't hurt you." Signy slid off Bramble with her luggage in hand.

"Yes, well, let's come up with a new greeting."

Toothless and Bramble dashed to greet each other. Signy set down her bags and she and Hiccup gave each other a hug.

"We've missed you, Sig," he told her.

"We've missed you, too."

"Dad should be home in an hour and a half. I didn't tell him you were coming so it would be a surprise." They started walking towards the house, Hiccup taking the saddlebag while Signy carried the backpack.

"Oh, good! I'm sure he'll be glad to see me!"

Inside, Signy set her stuff in her room before she headed downstairs to see Hiccup pulling things out of the cabinets and setting them on the counter in the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" Signy asked.

"I'm making your favorite for dinner."

"Homemade burgers?"

"Yep. I've already got everything for it!"

"I'll help!"

* * *

Stoick sighed as he arrived at the house. It had been another day at the office, since his next wrestling match wasn't for a month, and another day of missing his daughter. Opening the front door, he entered the foyer and headed upstairs for his office. He could smell burgers cooking downstairs and knew Hiccup was making dinner—Signy's favorite meal. If anyone was missing Signy more than Stoick, it was Hiccup.

Then he could hear an all-too-familiar laugh.

 _Signy._

Stoick ran downstairs and into the kitchen, where he saw Signy sitting at the island and talking to Hiccup. She turned to face him, and he could see that his daughter had grown a few inches. Her hair was also back to the red she'd gotten from him.

"Signy, you're home!" he blurted. She smiled and gave him a hug.

"Yeah. I'm home." He crushed her to his chest.

"For how long?"

"For good."

His heart sprang up in joy.

His baby girl was home.

"Burgers are done!" Hiccup announced.

"I'll get the toppings!" Signy grabbed the lettuce and tomatoes and condiments and everything else her family liked to put on their burgers and put it out on the kitchen table. Stoick looked at his son.

"Did you know she was coming?" he asked.

"She told me a few weeks ago. I didn't tell you so it would be a surprise."

"Well, thank you." Hiccup handed the half-pound burger to his father.

"Just the way you like it, Dad."

"Hurry up!" Signy called. "I had a six-hour flight from LA today and I'm starving!"

"Coming!"

It was as if Signy had never gone to Los Angeles.

* * *

"Okay, so, I'll take you to the main office and help you get settled." Signy looked up from her bacon and eggs, a smile on her face.

"Thanks, Hiccup."

"It's not a problem. Now, there is the _slight_ problem of the other students."

"I'll just kick their asses."

"No, you won't, Signy. Most of them are bigger than you."

"Fine."

"Besides, I'm not going to let you get in trouble on the first day."

"Okay." She shoveled the last bite of eggs in her mouth and got up to put her dishes in the dishwasher. "We'll go as soon as I grab my backpack."

Hiccup smiled and went to grab his bag. Signy was waiting by the door, which he closed and locked behind them as they left. Signy was bouncing excitedly as they headed towards the school.

"Okay, uh, Sig. I think you should know a few things about Dragon's Edge."

"Like what?"

"Like if you want to escape, head for the band kids like me. They're really protective. Also, don't mess with the Thorston twins or A-Astrid Hofferson."

"Noted."

Before Hiccup could tell his sister anything else, a firecracker landed at his feet. He saw Snotlout and Dagur again, but this time, Dagur stopped mid-throw. He was staring at Signy, his mouth slightly open as he tapped Snotlout's arm and pointed at the redhead.

"Hey, babe, how about you ride with us instead of walking with that loser?" Snotlout called. Signy glared and turned away, grabbing Hiccup's arm as she quickened her pace. "Fine! Suit yourself!"

The truck sped by and Signy gave the truck a not-very-ladylike hand gesture.

"Wow, Sig. Hollywood's treated you well."

"I know at least three different ways to flip someone off. Middle finger, the Fig, and biting your thumb. Comes in handy when a certain costar starts catcalling."

"Gustav?"

"I swear, you'd never guess that he's three years younger than me, the way he hits on me."

Upon their arrival at Dragon's Edge, they headed for the main office, where Principal Alvin was waiting for them. He was an old friend of Stoick's and he was well-aware of where Signy had been all that time she wasn't home. He gave them each a hug.

"Welcome to Dragon's Edge, Signy," he said, smiling. "I hope you won't get bored with us."

"I won't, sir," she replied. "Hollywood is boring. Berk is what I need."

"Good to hear, lass." He took the manila envelope off his desk and handed it to her. "Your locker assignment and class schedule. I'll take you to get your books." Alvin turned to Hiccup. "Wait here for us to come back. You have the same classes she does."

"Okay," Hiccup agreed, nodding. Alvin and Signy disappeared into the bookroom and emerged with five textbooks—the four core classes and a French textbook. Signy smiled as she put her Physical Science, Geometry, and English 2 textbooks in her backpack. Her history book and French book were being carried in her arms to be put in her locker.

"Let's do this."

* * *

Astrid craned her neck to get a good look at Hiccup's spot in the cafeteria. Normally, the class outcast sat alone in a corner, eating a packed lunch and reading a book when he wasn't sketching something out. Today was different. Today, someone was sitting with him. Today, there was a very female someone sitting with him. Today, there was a very pretty female someone sitting with him. Astrid had no idea who the girl was, or why she was lowering herself to sit with Hiccup, but she was curious.

"Who is that?" she asked the twins.

"Beats me," Tuffnut replied. "She's hot, though. Why the hell is she hanging out with Triple H the Third?"

Mystery Girl burst out laughing at a joke Hiccup had made and Astrid couldn't take it anymore.

"Okay, somebody has to talk to them—find out who she is."

"She's probably his girlfriend," Ruffnut suggested.

"No way Haddock could land a babe like that," snorted Snotlout. "She has a temper. She flipped me off this morning when I offered her a ride to school."

"Snotlout, every girl does that," laughed Astrid.

"I… I could go talk to them," Fishlegs offered.

"Yeah! Fish-face can go talk to the class loser!" Snotlout agreed. The others nodded. Fishlegs gulped and walked across the cafeteria to where Hiccup and Mystery Girl were sitting.

"Um… hi," he greeted them. Mystery Girl looked up, her green-blue eyes wide with curiosity.

Those eyes…

"Hey, Fishlegs," Hiccup greeted him.

"I couldn't help but notice you had someone sitting with you today." Mystery Girl picked up a yellow can of lemon seltzer water and started drinking it. "Is she your girlfriend?"

Mystery Girl coughed and spluttered, spitting out her drink. Hiccup handed her a napkin.

"Oh, _hell_ no," she said once she had dried her mouth. "Not in a million years. Gross."

"Then… why are you sitting with him?"

"Because he's my brother!" Hiccup nodded.

"We're twins," he added. "She's just been at a private academy for a long time."

Fishlegs nodded, understanding perfectly.

"So, what's your name?"

"If you want to talk to us, sit down and chat," Mystery Girl instructed. "It's more personal that way." Fishlegs shrugged and sat down. "My name is Signy. It's nice to meet you."

"I'm Fishlegs. It's nice to meet you, too."

He was getting a good look at her now, and she looked incredibly familiar. He couldn't quite place it, but he had seen her somewhere before. Her hair was throwing him off—it was too bright and distracting and was keeping him from figuring it out.

"Well, it was great talking to you!" Fishlegs told the Haddock twins. "Bye!"

"Bye, Fishlegs!" they said in unison. He headed back to his friends.

"So, who is she?" Astrid asked.

"Her name is Signy and she's Hiccup's twin sister."

"HA! I told you she was too hot for Hiccup!" Snotlout cackled.

"She looks kind of familiar, though… like…" He snapped his fingers. "Like Thorn!"

"There's no way she's Thorn!" scoffed Ruffnut. "Her hair is the wrong color!"

"Um, it's called 'hair dye'!" Tuffnut snorted at his sister.

Astrid looked at Hiccup and Signy, her curiosity piqued…

* * *

 **Welcome home, Signy!**

 **So long and thanks for all the fish!**


	3. Project LaLaurie

"…and that brings us to the Witch Trials of Salem Village."

Signy pursed her lips as she finished writing.

"Now," Ms. Peabody said, picking up a stack of papers from her desk. "As you all know, every quarter I assign a partner project. This quarter, I want all of you to find and do a presentation on someone from a dark scene in America's history. It doesn't matter if they were the perpetrator or the victim—they just had to be involved. It must be about the person and the event itself."

"Ms. Peabody?" spoke up Snotlout. "Are we allowed to pick our partners?"

"No, Mr. Jorgenson. I have already selected the partners. Since there's an odd number of you, one group will have three members. That group will consist of the Thorston twins and Mr. Haddock." Hiccup groaned and banged his head on the desk. Signy patted his back in sympathy. "Mr. Jorgenson, you will be working with Mr. Ingerman." She went on until she got to Astrid. "Miss Hofferson, your partner is Miss Haddock."

Astrid's head snapped up before she glanced at the redheaded Haddock twin. Signy was already writing something in her notebook, a look of inspiration on her face and a pair of reading glasses on her face. Her hair, although braided over her shoulder, was messy and sticking out. The blonde internally groaned at the thought of working with either Haddock, but at least it was the 'cool one'.

"I would like all of you to move next to your partners so you can spend the last ten minutes of class discussing your project," Ms. Peabody continued, handing out rubrics. "These will be your seats until after the entire class has presented their projects." Signy took her rubric with a grin as Hiccup moved to sit next to the Thorston twins. Astrid sat in Hiccup's normal seat, trying to ignore the warmth that was there from Hiccup sitting on it.

"Do you have any ideas?" Signy asked Astrid, snapping the blonde from her thoughts.

"Um… no. I don't have any. I'm kind of terrible in history."

"Well, good. We can learn together. I was thinking someone like Lizzie Borden or Madame LaLaurie." Astrid was distracted by the gleam in Signy's eyes. It was _so much_ like Thorn.

"Sounds good…?"

"Great! You can come over to my house after school and we'll start doing research! Meet me by the band room and we'll go from there."

Meanwhile, Hiccup was trying to get a word in edgewise with Ruffnut and Tuffnut.

"We should _totally_ do the Boston Massacre!" Ruffnut said, her eyes gleaming at the thought of the murder.

"No! We should do one of the school shootings!" Tuffnut protested.

"How about we do _neither_?" Hiccup piped up.

"Oh, yeah, Haddock? What do _you_ think we should do?" Tuffnut sneered.

"How about the Lost Colony of Roanoke? Nobody knows what happened to the people, but we could do the report on John White! He was the founder of the colony."

"Hm… maybe you _are_ more than a dork."

"We'll meet at the library after school and work!"

* * *

After school, Hiccup and Signy said goodbye to each other and headed in opposite directions—Hiccup towards the library with the Thorston twins and Signy towards home with Astrid. Astrid noted that Signy was a fast walker, and that she was easily distracted if she didn't have somebody talking to her.

"So, Signy, how come you came home from boarding school?" Astrid inquired.

"Eh. I needed to be home. Hiccup and I don't really have a lot of friends or family. It's just us, our dad, our dragons, and Uncle Gobber."

"Sounds lonely."

"It is, but we're fine as long as we have each other." She walked up a wall that lined the sidewalk and balanced on it as she walked, sticking her arms out for balance. "I remember when we were little that people picked on him all the time because he was weak and didn't like sports. I tried to fight those people, but he'd always keep me from doing it."

"I get it. I used to be picked on for being a tomboy, but I kicked them in the shins for it. Now nobody picks on me."

"Hiccup isn't like us. He's more of a talker than a fighter. Dad says I was always the more violent one." She hopped off the end of the wall and back onto the sidewalk. "We're almost there."

Astrid followed Signy's gaze and her jaw dropped.

The Haddock house ( _mansion_ ) was huge. It was on top of a small hill with a long, circular driveway and an actual _gate_. In the back, Astrid could see a Nadder running around. Signy smiled and opened the gate, letting Astrid in first.

"You live _here_?!" Astrid squeaked.

"Yeah. Dad's the CEO of Vast Industries and a professional wrestler."

"Wait. You and Hiccup's dad is _Stoick the Vast_?!"

"Yep." Signy started climbing up to the house, Astrid scrambling to keep up with her.

Inside was just as impressive. It was the kind of place that you saw in movies and TV—large foyer that led to a pair of staircases and a couple of other rooms. The staircases themselves were curving, making a beautiful effect.

"It's the Haddock family home," Signy told Astrid. "It's the house our great-great-great-great grandfather built, and we've lived here for a long time."

"It's too big for just three people!" Astrid blurted.

"I know." Signy's face fell, and Astrid could see the happy mask that she wore crack down the middle.

"So, uh, where are we going to work?"

"The library!" And the mask was fixed. Signy grabbed Astrid's hand and led her upstairs to a set of double doors. Upon entering them, Astrid wasn't surprised to see it was floor-to-ceiling books. She could see blueprints for various small inventions on a desk, and a computer was in the corner.

They decided on Madame LaLaurie for their topic. Astrid quickly learned that Madame LaLaurie had been one _nasty_ piece of work—a slave owner in New Orleans who treated her slaves worse than livestock and tortured them in ways that were considered overly cruel, even by the standards of that time. Her fate was unknown, which intrigued Astrid. She glanced at a picture on the desk of a woman with the same auburn hair as Hiccup standing with the giant of a man that was Stoick the Vast. They were holding two _very tiny_ babies. One wore a pink bracelet and the other wore blue.

"Who's the woman?" she asked Signy.

"That's our mom and dad, the first time they held the two of us," Signy replied, coming over to look at the picture. "One month old."

"Your parents didn't hold you until you were a month old?"

"We were born premature. Two months premature. The doctors said we wouldn't make it through the winter." She smirked. "Guess they were dead wrong."

"Where's your mom now?"

"Gone." Signy started shuffling through the invention papers.

"I-I'm sorry. How did it happen?"

"How did what happen?"

"How did your mom die?"

"She's not dead, as far as I know."

"She's not?"

"Nope. She's just… gone. Disappeared when Hiccup and I were a year old. Dad came home to a smashed window, blood on the floor, a missing wife, and two crying babies in their cribs."

"It must've been rough."

"I think it's what made Hiccup and I into such romantics." She faced Astrid again, leaning against the desk. "Did you know our father has never even _looked_ at another woman with romantic prospects? He's still hoping Mom will come home. That's the kind of love we both want, where it never dies."

"That's… both sad and sweet."

"I know." She grinned. "All we need is the right people."

* * *

 **Here we go! The beginning of Astrid beginning to learn about Hiccup and Signy's family history. Next time, the project presentations will occur and a friend from Hollywood will visit!**

 **So long and thanks for all the fish!**


	4. Past and Presentation

Astrid never thought she'd find a best friend.

In her fifteen years on Earth, she'd always been something of a mixed bag when it came to friendship—not quite a loner, since she was always surrounded by people, but not quite Madame Popularity, since she refused to be close to anyone. She thought she'd never get close to anybody, until Signy Haddock came back to Berk. In just two weeks since they'd started working together on their history project, Astrid had found herself wanting that companionship that came with a best friend. Someone to open up to, someone who would always have your back or slap you if you were being stupid.

She felt like Signy could be that person.

The younger Haddock twin (as she'd learned, Hiccup was five minutes older) was the type of person Astrid felt like she could trust with her life. Something about her was refreshing, new, and honest. She never tried to get Astrid to do stuff that wasn't in her best interest—instead, they spent time messing around on the computer and watching Netflix in the living room. Occasionally, they'd talk about their families and their dragons, so you know.

Typical friendship.

* * *

"Which group wants to go first?" Ms. Peabody asked, sitting in her 'I'm-silently-judging-your-projects' chair.

" _Us_!" Ruffnut yelled, grabbing Hiccup's arm. She and Tuffnut stood at the front of the room while Hiccup plugged in the flash drive that held their project.

"We did our project on the Lost Colony and John White," Tuffnut told the teacher.

"John White founded the colony of Roanoke in what is now North Carolina during a really bad season, where there was a drought."

"There were also attacks from local tribes—"

"So John White went back to England to get supplies."

"It took him three years to return, and when he did, the entire colony was _gone_ , including his daughter and granddaughter, Virginia Dare."

"The only clue to their whereabouts was the word 'Croatoan' carved onto a tree."

"There are many theories as to what happened, including plague and being taken by the Croatoan tribe."

"Of course, our favorite theories—"

"Are aliens and zombies, or perhaps cannibalism!" Hiccup groaned and banged his head on the wall.

"Thank you, you three. You may be seated. Next up is Miss Hofferson and Miss Haddock."

Signy plugged in the flash drive and pulled up their project.

"Our project was on Madame Delphine LaLaurie," Astrid announced. "Madame LaLaurie was a slave owner in New Orleans during the 1830s. She was a beautiful woman who threw many lavish parties that were considered the height of New Orleans society. However, people began to notice that her slaves changed every party, and one neighbor even witnessed Delphine chase a little slave girl off the roof of the house with a whip.

"A fire broke out in the house one day, set by the cook who they chained to the stove. It burned through most of the house, leaving every room scorched and burned. It even burned down the door to the attic, where a horrifying discovery was made. It appeared that Madame LaLaurie and her husband had been torturing their slaves in horrible ways that I can't describe in a class presentation. Madame LaLaurie and her family were run out of town and never seen again."

Claps followed the presentation and the two girls went back to their seats.

* * *

The following afternoon, Astrid headed over to the Haddock house, uninvited. She knocked on the door and it was opened by Hiccup.

"OH!" he yelped. "Um, hey, Astrid. Hi, Astrid, hi, Astrid, hi, Astrid…"

"Hey, Hiccup. Is Signy home?"

"Y-yeah. Come on in."

Hiccup shut the door behind her.

"She's in the living room. We were about to watch a movie."

Astrid entered the living room and saw Signy lying with her back on the cushions and her legs hooked over the back of the couch. Her long red hair was brushing the floor, free from its normal braid. She looked up at Astrid and gasped.

"Astrid!"

"What are you doing?" Astrid asked.

"Letting the blood rush to my head. It helps me think."

"Oh. Well, I just came to hang out with you, but if you and Hiccup are busy—"

"No, it's fine!" She swung her legs down so that she was sitting upright. "You can join us! We're going to watch _The Wedding Singer_."

"I've never seen it."

"Neither has Hiccup. I saw it once at boarding school during movie night. You two get comfortable and I'll get the snacks!"

Signy disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Astrid alone with Hiccup.

"So…" Astrid tapped her fingers nervously. "Signy mentioned you like to invent stuff?"

"Um… yeah, I do. I've been working on some things, b-but it's slow going at the moment."

"Well, good luck with that."

There was awkward silence until Signy re-entered the room, carrying sodas and popcorn with a big smile on her face. She chose to sit on the overstuffed recliner to the side, leaving Astrid and Hiccup on the couch. Both of them could see the gleam in the redhead's eyes, one that said she was trying to push them together. Hiccup inwardly groaned; he could never hide _anything_ from his sister, and his crush on Astrid seemed to be no exception. Astrid remembered what Signy had said a couple of weeks earlier about her and Hiccup being romantics looking for the right people and glanced at Hiccup. He was… actually kind of cute, now that she thought about it, and he was refreshingly honest.

Suddenly, Signy's phone went off, blaring the _Legend of Zelda_ adventure theme. She picked it up and checked the caller ID.

 _Eret._

"I've got to take this," she told Hiccup and Astrid. "Go ahead and enjoy the movie."

She headed out back onto the deck and sat in a chair.

"Hey, Eret," she said.

" _Hello, princess_ ," he greeted her.

"Nice to hear from you, after a month."

" _Well, I've been busy. I've been filming a new movie out here, but I still miss you every day._ "

"I miss you, too."

" _Have you spoken to Cami since you left Hollywood?_ "

"I talked to her yesterday. Why?"

" _She mentioned wanting to see where you grew up… and she bought a plane ticket to New York._ "

"Oh, yay! I get to see my best friend from Hollywood!"

" _Thanks, Angel._ "

"You're my boyfriend… and my brother is my male best friend."

" _True. Well, I've gotta go. They need me on set._ "

"Okay. Love you!"

" _Love you, too!_ "

Signy hung up and went back inside, where she found Hiccup and Astrid sitting on opposite ends of the couch, watching each other when they thought the other wasn't looking. Signy hopped onto her chair, startling them out of their trance and giggling once she did.

" _Signy!_ "

* * *

A couple days later, Hiccup opened the door to see Camicazi Boggs, one of the few people in Hollywood his sister had been close to. She was dressed in similar clothes to the ones Signy preferred to wear, with a big smile on her face completing the outfit **(Author: Jesus Christ, that's corny)**.

"Hey, Cami," he greeted her.

"Hey, Hic! Is Sig home?"

"Yeah, she's in her room."

"Great! Can I come in?"

"Sure!"

Cami entered the house and headed upstairs, directed by Hiccup to where Signy's room was. He could hear the excited squeals from his sister and couldn't help but wish he had human friends like that. He might, one day, but for now, he only had Signy.

 _And maybe Astrid. No, she only hangs out with you because of Sig. You're the class loser._

"Hiccup!" He looked up at the sound of his sister's voice to see her at the top of the stairs. "You're a great guy—you know that? Who gives a damn what those pretentious and idiotic assholes at school think?"

"Thanks, Sig."

"I'd date you," added Cami, making Hiccup blush.

"Come on, Cami!" The two disappeared into Signy's room.

* * *

"…were you serious?"

"About what?" Cami stopped spinning in the swivel chair and faced Signy.

"About dating Hiccup."

"Yeah! He's cute and he's smart, and he's so sweet. I remember the one time he came out to Hollywood to visit you and we hung out while you were filming… he's a gentleman. A rare type to find nowadays."

"True." Signy hugged her knees to her chest. "Cami, have you ever wondered what would have happened if we weren't famous?"

"I don't have to wonder. We would be able to go outside without being stalked by the paparazzi and live normal lives. Isn't that why you have a stage name?"

"It's exactly why I have a stage name. Thorn is the famous me, but Signy is the real me."

"Like how I'm your famous best friend and Hiccup is your real best friend."

"Cami!"

"Kidding! But seriously, though, that was a smart move."

"I'm just lucky nobody in Hollywood saw me with red hair."

"I like your red hair!" Cami leaned over and tugged on a stray lock of hair. "it's vibrant and lively. It suits you."

"And I have the temper to back it up."

"Hey, I'm a blonde and I have the same temper."

"So does Astrid."

"Who's Astrid?"

"My new friend. She goes to our high school and she's pretty cool. I think she has a crush on Hiccup."

"Tell her to back off."

"Cami…"

"Fine, _I'll_ back off, but if she hurts him, I'm coming for him."

Signy looked out the window and could see the last of the autumn leaves beginning to fall. It was almost November, which meant getting ready for winter. Of course, that didn't mean they'd have slightly-warm weather much longer. It was far more likely that they'd get a snowstorm before Thanksgiving and then another one right after.

 _God, I've missed the snow. How long has it been since I've seen actual snow and not the stupid fake stuff on set?_

"I'm going to go set up in the guest room," Cami told Signy.

"Okay. It's down the hall, on the left. You can't miss it."

"Thanks!"

And she was gone.

Despite her happy appearance to everyone else, Signy did have some problems. Going into show business at the age of eleven and becoming an almost-immediate hit had taken its toll on her, and even with that particular pressure off of her shoulders, the price of fame still bore down on her. Back before she'd left LA, before the show had been finalized, she'd begun seeing a therapist to talk about her issues—her shitty costars, her constant homesickness, her hatred of the glitz and glamour of Hollywood… pretty much anything. It helped some, but she had chosen another outlet.

She rolled up her sleeve and opened her drawer to grab…

A box of Sharpies. From them, she selected blue and green as her tools for this time and drew vines winding around her forearm. They twisted and turned as much as she desired, until she capped the markers and put them back in the box. She took another moment to admire the design before taking a picture with the instant camera on her desk and grabbing the rubbing alcohol to get rid of the evidence.

Nobody could know.

* * *

 **Yeah, it got a little more real again. Signy has slight depression, like me, and chooses to deal with it by being creative. I channel mine into my writing and she channels hers into pretty designs on her forearms with marker. This chapter is pretty lackluster, but next time we'll have some plot and hints of things to come.**

 **So long and thanks for all the fish!**


	5. Thanksgiving

"A happy Thanksgiving for all of you!"

Signy shoved her textbook into her backpack before jumping up.

It was finally Thanksgiving break, and she was excited to spend it at home with her family. On top of that, she'd convinced her dad to invite Cami (whose mother was too busy to celebrate) and Eret (whose legal guardian didn't give a fuck). They'd be flying into New York later that day, and her father would be picking them up from the airport.

"Thanks-giving Break!" she whooped, bouncing along the sidewalk as she and Hiccup walked home.

"Jeez, could you calm down, Sig?"

"I'm going to see my boyfriend for the first time in two months and all you can tell me is 'calm down'. Remind me to become that boring when you and Astrid start dating."

"W-what?! I-I don't—we're not—"

"Hiccup, Hiccup, Hiccup. I'm your sister. And your twin. I can read you like a book, and you're showing all the movie cliché signs of being in love." She put up a finger for each cliché she named. "Stammering. Fiddling with your hands. Inability to make eye contact. Sweating. Increased heartrate—"

"How can you tell—"

"—and being klutzy around the object of your affection. That's six clichés you showed in the first _week_ of Astrid hanging around us. You've got it _bad_ , little brother."

"First of all, I _don't_ like Astrid. I've barely spoken to her outside of the handful of times you've forced us to interact. Second of all, _I'm_ the older sibling."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever!" She messed up his hair and he snorted.

They reached the house and found their father's car outside; evidently, he'd come home early. Inside, Stoick was interrogating a young man with black hair who Signy recognized immediately. Cami was in the living room, eating some brownies that Signy had made the night before in preparation for the visit.

"Eret!" Signy cheered, hugging her boyfriend. He laughed and spun around, sweeping her into an even bigger hug.

"Oh my God, I'm getting a cavity from this," Cami laughed from the living room.

"Hey, Cami!" Hiccup greeted her. "How many brownies have you eaten?"

"Enough to give the damn nutritionist my mother hired a panic attack." She popped another in her mouth and Signy slid onto the couch, taking the plate. "Sig!"

"Save some for the rest of us, Cami!"

Hiccup glanced at Eret, who he hadn't seen in person since his brief visit to Hollywood a couple years earlier. He'd grown quite a bit, both in height and muscle. It was no wonder Eret had been declared the 'hottest teen star in Hollywood'. And he knew from listening to the fangirls at school that they all loathed Thorn for 'claiming Eret first'.

"You look good, Hiccup," commented Eret. "Of course, Signy's still the better-looking twin, but…"

"That's because she's your girlfriend!" called Cami. She and Signy came out of the living room, Signy sliding the brownies back into their place in the fridge.

"Well, we'd better start making dinner for five," Stoick declared, rubbing his hands together. "Who's helping?"

"Uh, I'm in charge," Hiccup told his father. "We all know you and Sig can burn water."

"I can cook," Cami offered. "If you need a hand."

"Oh, sure. Thanks."

Eret and Signy went into the living room with Stoick to play cards. Apparently, Eret had told Stoick that he was a card-game _master_ and Stoick had wanted to test that. Signy had gone to balance things out, leaving Hiccup and Cami alone. The starlet knew her way around the kitchen for sure, which made Hiccup relieved that he had a cooking partner who knew what they were doing.

"You know, you're a really great guy, Hiccup," Cami told him, washing off some lettuce.

"So you and Sig have said."

"No, I'm serious. You're a gentleman in a world where men want to be assholes to impress women. You're sweet and not possessive at all."

"Thanks."

"And… if you ever want a girl to go out with, just ask me." He almost dropped the ground beef he was holding.

"Are you serious?!"

"As a heart attack."

"Well, I'll be sure to keep your offer in mind."

"Great. Pass me the tomatoes."

* * *

The next couple days passed in a flurry of activity. Hiccup, Cami, Signy, and Eret all pitched in with Thanksgiving dinner (Eret and Signy were given tasks like mashing potatoes or mixing stuffing) and it was delicious. Signy and Eret ended up going for an after-dinner flight together when Stoick passed out after they finished eating the afternoon meal.

Hiccup found himself entertaining Cami, who was very easy for him to talk to. She was similar to Signy in that regard, and he was able to see how his sister had become such good friends with somebody in a world that she hated, a world that had sent her into depression and therapy. She thought he didn't know, but he did. His 'twinstinct', as Signy put it, had tipped him off.

That and the photos that she kept in her desk.

He hadn't meant to find them—really, he hadn't—but he'd been looking for his sketchbook. Signy had a habit of stealing his stuff to mess with him, and he'd found his sketchbook in her nightstand. But that was after he'd opened her desk drawer to find Sharpies and Polaroids—all pictures of his sister's forearm covered in intricate designs. A lump had formed in his throat at the sight and he'd never mentioned it to anyone, especially not Signy.

To most of the world, she was Thorn—a beautiful, talented, happy-go-lucky actress with a heart of gold.

To his father, she was Signy Milla—his little headstrong, kind-hearted, happy daughter.

To Hiccup, she was Sig—his other half, his best friend, his twin, and his support.

But had he been any of that to her?

They'd rarely spoken while she was in Hollywood, save for the odd text or phone call. He'd blamed the time difference and their schedules, but maybe… maybe he'd just been a bad brother. Signy's schedule had been dictated by her agent and the showrunners, but she had enough free time where he could've called and made sure she was okay. Wasn't that what older brothers did?

When he'd had problems he couldn't solve alone, she'd helped him. She'd been the one to suggest a prosthesis for Toothless, and the one to help him test it. Signy had helped keep Toothless hidden for two months from their father. And she'd been the one to find a Nadder to keep the Night Fury company. He'd always taken the fact that he was a twin for granted—and she'd never once been truly cruel to him.

God…

He really needed to help his sister.

* * *

Once the break was over, though, it was back to school for the Haddock twins. Most of their classmates had gone out of town for the holiday, all comparing vacations and fighting over who'd had the best. Signy and Hiccup stuck by each other, neither wanting to get caught up in the hubbub.

Speaking of Hiccup, Signy had noticed that he was acting off lately. It had started when she'd stolen his sketchbook to mess with him, and she'd seen him with it later, so she knew he'd gotten it back. But he'd been oddly quiet. The possibility had crossed her mind that maybe he'd found her pictures, but she pushed it deep down.

If he'd found her pictures, he'd have said something.

Right?

It didn't matter to her. He was being a supportive brother, and she'd been bothered by emails from her agent lately. Apparently, there was a movie role that was too good to pass up and he wanted her to take it. It was the kind of role she'd been wanting to play for years—a villain instead of the good girl. And she wanted to take it, too. She just needed to bring it up with her father and brother before she went back across the country.

'Filming could take up to three years to complete,' the email had said. Signy didn't want to be gone that long again without seeing her family.

But how could she even bring it up?

* * *

 **So things aren't too plot-heavy yet, but you know that Signy's going for a movie deal. And that Hiccup knows about his sister's depression. Pretty soon, the title will come into play and 'Act 1' will be over.**

 **Sorry I've been gone for a while. College has been crazy and I've been going through some shit because of grades and my parents being on my back all the time… and because I'm a terrible student.**

 **Well, so long and thanks for all the fish!**


	6. Back to Hollywood

As the time for semester exams approached, the Haddock twins soon showed their mental prowess over their classmates. They'd had studying habits instilled in them from a young age and both were grateful for those habits. Signy had ended up inviting Astrid over to study, given the blonde's lack of skill in both history and science, and Hiccup had hidden in his room to avoid any awkward conversations with his longtime crush. After all, he had to focus. Exams were in less than a week!

"I'm _never_ going to get this!" groaned Astrid, flopping onto Signy's bed dramatically.

"Come on—it's not that hard!" laughed Signy, spinning around in her chair. "History's a lot of interpretation and memorization. It's easy once you learn the tricks."

"Easy for you to say, Miss Haddock-Genius. You and Hiccup are the smartest kids in our class—if not the whole school."

Signy shrugged and spun a little more, yelping as she almost fell. Astrid snickered and stuck out her foot to stop the chair, keeping Signy from hitting her head on the desk. The redhead gave her a look and stuck out her tongue. Her smile, though, said that she didn't really mind the affectionate teasing.

"I'm going to get a drink of water," Signy laughed, standing up. She stumbled a bit, being dizzy from the spinning, before exiting the room.

Astrid sighed and laid back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

She'd realized a couple months earlier that Signy was a good friend to have around. The redhead was honest, good-natured, smart, and refreshing to interact with compared to the other kids in their class. If Astrid had to pick a best friend, she'd probably say Signy before anybody else.

A loud, repeated buzzing shook her from her thoughts and she glanced at the desk. Signy's phone was going off. Out of pure curiosity, she looked at the screen to see the name 'Eret' flashing across it. Knitting her eyebrows together in confusion, Astrid tried to think of anybody with that name who Signy might know. Only one came to mind, and he was dating Thorn.

The phone went to voicemail and Astrid stared at it.

"What happened?" Signy asked, coming back in.

"Your phone went off… some guy named Eret was calling."

"Oh, yeah, my boyfriend." She had a happy look and Astrid felt a pit in the bottom of her stomach.

"Your… boyfriend? He's not… he's not Eret Eretson, is he?"

"As a matter of fact, he is."

"I hate to ruin this for you, but he's dating Thorn. He's cheating on you." Signy tilted her head.

"No he's not."

"Yes, he is." Signy started fiddling with the end of her braid.

"Astrid, can you keep a secret?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"It's just super important."

"Just go ahead and tell me."

"I'm… I'm only telling you because I trust you." She took a deep breath. "I'm Thorn."

"Wait, seriously?!" Astrid's eyes widened.

"It's my stage name. I came up with it when I got 'discovered' to protect my identity."

"So you weren't at boarding school."

"No. I came home to be with my family… but I don't know how much longer I'll be here. Please, keep this a secret. And especially don't tell anybody at school. I like my privacy."

"I won't tell anyone. I promise." Astrid shook her hand, then studied the redhead's face.

 _How did I not figure it out before? She's the same except for her hair and the lack of makeup._

* * *

"Thank God it's over!"

Hiccup smiled at his sister as she slumped against the fence on the way home. Exams had just wrapped up and winter break was officially starting. He was excited to have her home for Christmas for the first time in three years, and he'd already gotten her Christmas present. Her blue-green eyes were lit up with her own excitement as she skipped along.

"Christmas, here we come!" she cheered.

"Are you sure you're ready for snow?" he asked teasingly.

"Of _course_. It's going to be _real_ snow instead of the fake stuff that I saw in California. I haven't seen real snow in _years_."

"It's going to come hard and fast."

She snorted.

Suddenly, a car pulled up beside them. Inside were the Thorston twins, Dagur, and Snotlout, all holding their phones to snap pictures of Signy. Her eyes widened in shock and confusion.

"What the hell?!" she blurted.

"It's not every day one of the biggest teen stars in Hollywood lives in our town!" Tuffnut told her cheerfully. "Everyone knows you're Thorn!"

Signy's mouth hung open, her lower lip quivering slightly. Hiccup saw the look on her face and felt rage come over him as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her along. He then turned back to those in the car.

"Leave her _alone_ ," he ordered, his voice taking on a low tone that scared his former tormentors. They sped off and Hiccup ran home with his sister, slamming the door shut and locking it behind him.

Signy staggered to the couch, falling onto it and burying her face into the cushions. Hiccup could hear her muffled sobs and knelt beside her. His fingers ran through her hair to try and comfort her. It was something he'd done for her since they were young, and he'd picked it up from a nanny they'd had fairly early on. The action almost always calmed and comforted Signy.

Not this time.

"She lied to me," Signy croaked. "She _promised_ me she wouldn't tell anybody."

"Who?"

"Astrid. I told her the truth, and she _promised me_ that she wouldn't tell anybody!"

The warmth that Hiccup usually felt at hearing Astrid's name was absent, replaced by cold contempt. He'd seen his sister's friendship with the blonde grow, and the trust that he and Signy found hard to place in people had been placed in Astrid. Astrid had, in turn, taken that trust and crushed it into pieces by revealing a secret Signy wanted to keep hidden.

"Sig, I'm sorry," he whispered, hugging her. She cried into his shoulder. "Maybe Berk isn't the best place for us."

"But I'm _happier_ here!"

"No, you're not. Sig, I saw the pictures in your desk." Her eyes widened and she stopped crying.

"A-are you going to tell Dad?"

"No, I won't, but we need to fix this."

"It's _depression_ , Hiccup. And broken trust. It's not like Toothless's tail-rig; you can't just take a screwdriver and wrench to it."

"We need to leave Berk and let things be." Signy took a deep breath and nodded.

"I… I wasn't sure how to bring it up, but… my agent sent me an offer. A new movie that they're filming. They want me to play the villain, and I want to accept."

"Perfect! So… accept it and we'll go."

"Wait, _we_?"

"I need to be a better brother to you, Sig. And I can't do that if we're separated. If you go to Hollywood, I'm going with you. And Dad can open up that LA branch of Vast Industries that he's been looking to start. I can start over at a new school, and you can play the kind of role you've always wanted to play. It's perfect for us."

She smiled and wiped her tears.

"We'll have to talk to Dad first."

"I'm sure if we tell him what's going on, he'll agree."

And Stoick did, but they had to stay in Berk until the day after Christmas. Signy was fine with that because she had one loose end she had to tie up before she headed back across the country.

* * *

Astrid looked at her watch.

 _4 PM. Signy should've been here by now._

Something was up. Signy had been silent since the last day of school, and her only message to Astrid had been the one she'd sent that morning.

 _Meet me at Hooligan Park at 4 PM._

The length and tone of the message implied Signy wasn't happy. And she specifically wasn't happy with Astrid. Astrid had no clue what was going on, but she hoped that Signy would shed light on the subject once she got to the park.

"You actually came."

Astrid glanced up to see Signy—clad in a parka with her hood and muffler obscuring most of her face. The only part of Signy Astrid could see were those distinctive blue-green eyes.

"Of course I did! I've had nothing but radio silence from you since school ended, and the only message you've sent me had me worried. What's going on?"

"We're leaving."

"We? We who?"

"My family. Me, Hiccup, and my dad." She kicked over a small pile of snow. "The Haddocks are leaving Berk."

"You just got here three months ago!"

"Yeah, and now I can't take it here anymore. It's full of backstabbing liars." Something in Signy's tone was off; it was as if she was trying not to cry.

"No, it's not!"

"Don't _lie_ , Astrid!" Signy exploded.

"I'm not _lying_!"

"You already lied to me once. You broke your promise, and it took less than two weeks for you to do it." Tears were now brimming in the actress's eyes, and despite knowing that she was talented and well-regarded in her field, Astrid also knew this wasn't an act.

"I didn't break my promise!"

"Oh, yeah?! Then how do Snotlout, Dagur, and the Thorston twins know that I'm Thorn?!" she retorted. Astrid blinked in confusion.

"I didn't tell them! Why would I?!"

"So you can brag that you know Thorn. For the notoriety. I don't know why people do anything like this."

"They'll forget about it pretty quickly—"

"I won't."

"Signy—"

"Do you have _any_ _idea_ how _hard_ it is for me to trust people?!" Astrid was silent. "I've been exploited before, by people I trusted. I tried to trust my costars, but it always came back to bite me in the ass. I've only been able to trust two people before you, and both of them are related to me. I don't even trust my fucking _therapist_ as much as I trusted you. And you took that trust… and you threw it away."

"I… I…"

"You know, Hiccup has been in love with you for years now?" Astrid opened and closed her mouth in shock. "He loved you unconditionally, and now you know what he's saying? He's saying that he wished he could've seen what a horrible person you are before this happened. Maybe he could've protected me."

"Signy… I don't know what to say."

"I do. Goodbye, Astrid."

* * *

School went back in session shortly after New Year's. Walking into her history class, Astrid felt a hole in her gut when she caught sight of Hiccup and Signy's empty seats. Normally, the Haddock twins would've already had their notebooks out and Signy would've called to Astrid. Hiccup would've blushed as the blonde made her way over. Astrid would've begun joking with her redheaded best friend before Ms. Peabody came in and shooed her back to her seat.

None of that would ever happen again.

"Hey, where's Lesser Haddock and Thorn?" she heard Tuffnut ask.

"Dunno," Ruffnut told her brother. "Must be running late."

Astrid sat down in her usual spot, watching the other students stream in. All of them noticed Hiccup and Signy's sudden absence—even more noticeable because all of them wanted to see Thorn. She gripped her pencil, snapping it in half.

 _Somebody was eavesdropping on me and Signy. That's the only way they could've found out._

Now her best friend hated her. Hiccup—somebody she'd come to think of as a possible boyfriend—loathed her for hurting his sister. And nobody _cared_. Astrid was beginning to understand the importance of trusting somebody the way the twins trusted each other. That was a person who would stand by you and hold onto things you didn't want everyone to know. Signy had wanted Astrid to be that type of person and Astrid had failed.

Berk was broken, and the gray-and-white landscape outside seemed to match Astrid's inner turmoil. She stared out the window and felt a massive lump in her throat. Signy had been so excited for the snow, and now she wouldn't get to enjoy it. She'd be in sunny California, in a place where there was no real snow for her to play in or shove her brother into as a joke.

 _Do you have_ **any idea** _how_ **hard** _it is for me to trust people?!_

 _Goodbye, Astrid_.

Signy's last words to her echoed in her head and she rubbed her eyes.

 _God. New England winters_ **suck** _!_

* * *

 **And we end Act 1 on a bit of a sad note.**

 **I know I just updated yesterday, but I'm on a roll now and I don't want to stop.**

 **The line 'New England winters suck' was always going to be in the story at some point—that was all I knew about it. I didn't know where or when or who would say it, but the more I thought about the line, the more I wanted it to have meaning. Putting it here was my best option.**

 **I've purposely left it open-ended as to how Signy's secret was found out so that you all can interpret it yourselves. I have an idea of how it happened (which Astrid vocalized) and that's my version of events.**

 **In other news, I have a request of my more artistic readers: could somebody do a cover for this story? I would do it, but I can't draw (or photoshop). You can do whatever you want for the cover, but when you're done, send it to me on my Tumblr: kamije_celeek. I'll pick one to be the cover and reblog them all to give you a little showcase.**

 **Act 2 begins next time, three years later.**

 **So long and thanks for all the fish!**


End file.
